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Homecoming details

I should have posted something on this before now but I was out for the last number of hours and so I didn’t get the chance. Better late than never: here are the details of the team’s homecoming later this afternoon.

The train taking the team home left Dublin a short while ago and it’s due into Castlebar at 5.10pm. On arrival, the team will go straight to MacHale Park and they’re expected to get there 5.30pm. Gates open at MacHale Park at four this afternoon.

Mayo GAA have advised that there won’t be any public access to the train station when the team arrives back at Castlebat this afternoon. Full details on the homecoming are here.

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19 thoughts on “Homecoming details”

May sound harsh but the better team won yesterday and the better team didn’t manage to win the last day. Everyone said before the game that was the boring narrative …but it ended up being true. Last 10 mins Dublin were utterly dominant and Mayo had left everything out there at that stage. Bench strength proved to be ultimate deciding factor. No point blaming Hennelly…cluxton to blame for 2-2 against Kerry but someone is always to blame for scores/goals…Mayo responded to goal well…but just didn’t have enough thereafter….its tiny bloody margins…but biggest one is…when u outplay ur opponent u must win. Mayo didn’t do this on day one, Dublin did do this on day two.

Inbetweener…I thought we were the better team in the drawn game but two freak goals cost us…together with an inability to score enough in the 1st half.

Losing Keegan and Vaughan were hammer blows yesterday. However I always felt that Dublin were marginally the better team with the exception of the 2nd quarter. Dublin were able to score easier than us, yes they got some soft frees but they bought them…our forwards didn’t. They were slicker and overall their forwards movement was better. In the last quarter they spurned a number of very scoreable chances that kept us in it.

It’s a reality none of us like, we struggle at times up front against the top teams. This team have brought us agonisingly close…I believe most of them can win an All Ireland but one or two more natural forwards would certainly assist in our quest for Sam. There appear to be plenty of lads from the U21’s with potential… Maybe not Allstar quality but good enough to make a positive impact at the business end of the championship.

We don’t have to have 5/6 forwards who can shoot out the lights but 2 would be useful. Then another two who regularly chip in with a brace from play. We need our best shooters on the ball as close as possible to the oppositions goals and that isn’t happening enough.

What really hurts regarding this defeat is that its partially self-inflicted, principally the penalty conceded from the keeper’s error. Remember they won by a point yet that goal gave them 3 points (brilliantly taken btw). There are two recurring themes over the past 6 years that have cost us and it happened again yesterday: (i) conceding silly goals and (2) not scoring enough from open play. Late in the game Dillion and COS both kicked point opportunities into Cluxton’s hands, AOS and AM had poor wides and of course COC has that miss at the end (would not blame him though, anyone can miss the odd one).

In the 2013 final we lost by a point yet in the first half of that game we were on top and had some bad wides. Dublin had 6 scores in that first half and 5 were gifted to them by Mayo errors. I hate to say it but the most crucial one being the BB goal after the keeper rushed from his line.

People say Dublin were the better team but for me only in the context of them not making as many errors as us. Over 2 games they beat us by a point and were gifted 3 goals and a number of points from poor kickouts…..that’s the facts. They were meant to be vastly superior to us but in terms of scoring over the 2 games, their biggest contributor from play was Costello yesterday. What did Connolly, Brogan, Flynn, McMenamon, Kilkenny do from open play? (Connolly got a good point yesterday but the one he got in the first game was handed to him).

People say Dublin has the stronger bench. McAuley did well when he came on but COS did an equally good job for us. Ok Costello got the 3 points and he ultimately proved the difference but overall I think there’s a bit of a myth regarding the strength of their bench.

My overall point is that there’s very little between the teams but when push comes to shove, and similar to the 2013 final, I think it can be best summed up as follows…….Dublin did enough to win however Mayo did enough to lose it (the penalty error, the OGs etc).

It is so important that some young forwards are blooded in the league. This has to happen even if it costs us Division 1 status. We simply don’t have enough natural scoring forwards.

Finally, notwithstanding all of the above, the other thing that hurts is the law of averages. So many tight games against Dublin……and we keep just losing ou

That’s all good Mayoaze but have a look at that last five mins again… three occasions worked the ball forward grand…

1 Mc l …..push in back
1Cillian in scrum.. picking ball, Sullivan pulled on him
1 Aido …after Dillons shot didn’t go over…fouled by Sullivan.
Three frees for us!!!!
That’s all! Sick!
Instead they went up from these situations and scored their late brilliant points… V Sick!!!

All we can do now as supporters is get behind the team and show them again just how much we think of them by going to McHale Park this evening.
Yes there were mistakes both in selection and in play and yes we were beaten and it feels rotten. But that’s football for ya.
Repairing sore bodies and bruised spirits is what it’s about now. Deeper analysis and rebuilding will take place over the winter and we’ll go again come the Spring.
Never say die!

Im absolutly gutted but my heart goes out to the lads especially COC and Hennelly. Im so proud of them none of them went missing during game not fucking one. They put their bodys on the line right to the end. This is not the end we will be up in Croker again next year when you see the talent coming through Dermot O Connor, Coen,Harrison, Durkin jesus this are are fantastic players. Chin up we will be back watching our lads in three months.

Can’t agree with u spotlight on COS contribution being equivalent to MDMC…for me Cauley was the real game changer. He drove at Mayo defence rather than going lateral. He gave the final pass for 3 points on these breaks. I thought his impact was greater than even costellos….I have no love for the guy and he is very limited in some respects but he had enormous impact on that match yesterday.

Yep…COS got on plenty of ball and wasn’t lacking in effort but his impact was limited. I found in the final ten mins we looked a bit out of steam..lads passing the ball for the sake of it… No real pattern or system. All very off the cuff. Grand, if it’s working bit it wasn’t. This coincided with us putting AOS and Barry into the edge of the square but players outfield seemed very reluctant to kick it in…due to risk of losing possession. When it was kicked in Barry won a free… Aido got on the end of another and while it prob wasn’t a penalty it caused difficulties for Dublin.

If you’re a young Mayo forward you should be bursting a gut this winter to stake a claim to get on this team because Rochford certainly will give lads a chance. Out kicking he ball over the bar…left and right…in the gym etc! It’ll be very interesting to see who steps into the plate.

It’d be good to see us put another serious minor team together. The other big counties have their conveyor belts in full flow. Mayo must match this and more….

We had power advantage which we could not cash in – some more ball to twin towers would bring either fouls or frees, but cut down risk of mid-field turnovers, so we need one or two rabbits for transition play

Anyone who has played in goal has had a dropped ball like yesterday. It’s something you pray doesn’t happen in front of 82,000 people. If the high ball looks tricky you are only thinking of catching it, if it looks easier half the mind is how to recycle it quickly and then it’s gone through the hands. It’s over in a split second. All members of the panel deserve huge praise for the level of commitment and pride they have in the jersey and I for one after ten all Ireland finals are very thankful to them. Don’t forget there worse days in Croke Park like the twenty point drubbing by Cork in the ’93 semi. Now that’s when it was hard to face the next day. This is hard but at least we have earned enormous respect.

McHale this eve was awkward. Hard on the boys to be coming in like that. One sensed that they would rather be else where but here they were again…giving of their all once more to the very end!
The kids had a great time running around and playing their balls into the goals.
I had a three footer wrap her arms around my left leg thinking I was dad….until she eventually looked up and was amused to see a grand dad!!!

Nice to see the fellas so snazzily dressed …not suits but those nice padded navy jackets, biscuit coloured pants and blue shirts. They looked real smart and appropriate.

We’re good at recovery . Couple of years ago it would have taken a fortnight to get over yesterday . I suppose there is some reprieve from being in this situation so many times .
Nice crowd at castlebar this evening . Could see Dillon and Andy more alert to the occasion . So sad to see them finish like this .

So proud of all you lads,you all came out & gave it yer all,so nice to see other county’s supporting Mayo on Saturday,the young the old the brave and the bold…you had it all lads,fair play & we will be back again ,fighting just as hard & playing just as good???